Electronic devices, such as handheld radiotelephones (e.g., cellular telephones), may have an appendage, such as a flip cover, pivotally mounted to the housing thereof that is movable between closed and open positions. A flip cover for a radiotelephone may contain a microphone, speaker, antenna or other electronic components.
One-handed operation of a handheld radiotelephone may be desirable, particularly when a user is involved in an activity requiring use of the other hand. Unfortunately, radiotelephones incorporating flip covers may require both hands of a user to hold the radiotelephone and to open (or close) the flip cover. To facilitate one-handed operation, some radiotelephones utilize a spring-activated flip cover that is held in a closed position by a mechanical latching mechanism. Conventional latching mechanisms for spring-activated flip covers often engage a flip cover as far from the flip cover hinge as possible. Unfortunately, this may require positioning a release button for releasing a latching mechanism near the latching mechanism to avoid a long, cumbersome mechanism. With some types of flip covers, particularly flip covers hinged from the top of a radiotelephone, positioning a latch release button in a location that facilitates one-handed operation by a user may be difficult.
Conventional latching mechanisms for spring-activated flip covers also may have other drawbacks. Mechanical latching mechanisms and release buttons used therewith can be bulky. Because many contemporary radiotelephone models are undergoing miniaturization to facilitate storage and portability, the amount of space available for flip cover latching mechanisms has become limited. In addition, conventional flip cover latching mechanisms may be susceptible to wear from use which may lead to reliability problems over time.